They say that moving house and getting married are two of the most stressful things that people do in their lives.
Well.....I'd add completing your Self Assessment On-Line Return (and even worse......making the payment!!).
I should be used to it after 8 years of self employment but I hate completing the return with a passion.
Still.........it's done now. I've just finished it and paid up !!
I'm now off to run a few trains (complete with a wee dram of one of my favourite single malts).
Phew!!

Please do not swear on this forum. The words 'Income Tax Return' are deemed highly offensive by many people on this site.

I might join you for a malt!, i opened my payslip the other day and realised how much Tax I paid......For what I ask

Just found out that if you wear branded clothing for work (i.e. it has the company name on it) and you have to wash it yourself you can get a tax rebate, it's not a lot but its money you are not paying them.. Even better, if you can prove it, you can back claim for 6 years 

More info at http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/uniform-tax-rebate

one good thing about reaching the big 65, no more national insurance deductions 

that was a nice surprise.

Quote from: Lawrence on January 25, 2012, 08:16:40 PM
Just found out that if you wear branded clothing for work (i.e. it has the company name on it) and you have to wash it yourself you can get a tax rebate, it's not a lot but its money you are not paying them.. Even better, if you can prove it, you can back claim for 6 years 

More info at http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/uniform-tax-rebate

Now THAT deserves a couple of GlenfiddichLivetMorangies (hic!)

Quote from: Lawrence on January 25, 2012, 08:16:40 PM
Just found out that if you wear branded clothing for work (i.e. it has the company name on it) and you have to wash it yourself you can get a tax rebate, it's not a lot but its money you are not paying them.. Even better, if you can prove it, you can back claim for 6 years 

More info at http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/uniform-tax-rebate

I'm trying that Lawrence.
Do you think they'll buy the fact I wear a polo shirt with the school logo on (which I had to buy myself) counts as a company logo and is tax deductable?? Mrs Kirky washes it 

On a serious note, I do claim for 'professional subscriptions'. That is, if you pay into a trade body such as a trade union and the inland revenue recognise it, its tax deducatable and they add the value of the subscription to your tax code. The only trouble is you have to tell them every year your subscription goes up, otherwise you only get last years allowance. It all adds up.

BTW, I quite like the Inland Revenue, it pays my wages, which means I get to contribute to the N gauge market place.

Cheers
Kirky

I have a story to tell about income tax returns.Return being a word with more than one meaning for me.

In 2009,I started back as a bus driver.A little background is required here.I worked for the same bus operater as I do now from 1990 to 2005 when I left to start up on my as a self employed plumbing,heating and gas engineer.I did ok in the time I was away from bus driving,however,the last incompetent government did such a great job with the economy that work dried up.So Christmas 2008 was a bit miserable in the Pete Mc house,so I applied for my old job back.Two months later I am back working as a bus driver.Now,for nearly 4 years I payed all my dues and demands as per all the instructions that were given.I informed HMRC that I was no longer self employed and that was that.

I started with my current employer and all was tickety boo in my house.Then in november 2010 I received a letter from HMRC stating I was due a tax refund and it would appear in my wages within two weeks.Now I was thinking that a couple of hundred quid would go a way to setting up my model railway.The week the refund came through I couldn't believe my eyes.I had a refund of just over eight hundred quid.A couple of weeks after was Wigan MRE.I have to say I went completely mad and spent over four hundred quid.After this I thought that was that.A few weeks later,I got another letter from HMRC explaining I was entitled to a tax refund and was invited to apply in writing for whatever amount was due to me,which at the time I didn't know.I duly did this and sent the letter off.I didn't receive any acknowledgement or anything so I dismissed it.

In february last year I got another letter from them two days before the BRM Festival of British Railway Modelling show at Doncaster Racecourse,which our model railway club helps out at doing marshalling etc.The letter outlined how much I was due to get back and the following day I had a cheque for over sixteen hundred quid arrive.

It turned out that when I started back with my current employer,no tax details were exchanged and as a self employed worker,I had no P60 or P45 to give them so I was paying tax at basic rate or as it appeared on my payslip BR.The last time I remembered it being called emergency tax.As you can imagine,I was a very happy bunny at this and have spent some but not all of it.

This was a pain free experience for me and as I now have a stable tax code I worked out I was paying over twenty six quid a week over the odds in tax without knowing.Just shows that not everyone has bad experiences with HMRC,and this was at a time when people were receiving further tax demands from years back due to mistakes the HMRC had made.

Pete

Quote from: kirky on January 25, 2012, 09:23:37 PM

Quote from: Lawrence on January 25, 2012, 08:16:40 PM
Just found out that if you wear branded clothing for work (i.e. it has the company name on it) and you have to wash it yourself you can get a tax rebate, it's not a lot but its money you are not paying them.. Even better, if you can prove it, you can back claim for 6 years 

More info at http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/uniform-tax-rebate

I'm trying that Lawrence.
Do you think they'll buy the fact I wear a polo shirt with the school logo on (which I had to buy myself) counts as a company logo and is tax deductable?? Mrs Kirky washes it 

On a serious note, I do claim for 'professional subscriptions'. That is, if you pay into a trade body such as a trade union and the inland revenue recognise it, its tax deducatable and they add the value of the subscription to your tax code. The only trouble is you have to tell them every year your subscription goes up, otherwise you only get last years allowance. It all adds up.

BTW, I quite like the Inland Revenue, it pays my wages, which means I get to contribute to the N gauge market place.

Cheers
Kirky

First line of the article Kirky  If you wear a uniform to work - whether just simple polo shirt with a logo on it,

If the wee dram is essential for your health and safety when doing the tax return, and doing the tax return is essential for your employment... then is the wee dram tax-deductable too? 

Quote from: Lawrence on January 25, 2012, 09:54:06 PM

First line of the article Kirky  If you wear a uniform to work - whether just simple polo shirt with a logo on it,

Yeah, and the second line says your employer requires you to wear it 

Quote from: edwin_m on January 25, 2012, 09:59:33 PM
If the wee dram is essential for your health and safety when doing the tax return, and doing the tax return is essential for your employment... then is the wee dram tax-deductable too? 

Only if you wash it (down) yourself

I feel a wee whisky moment coming on.....mmmmmm

Kirky

Edit; sorry its a LARGE whisky moment

Ah yes the joy of income tax returns. The bit I hate the most is fishing out every order copy and all the postage receipts and the paypal fees and putting the numbers in order. That is a right pain when you find some postage receipt has mysterious absconded and hidden itself six months later in the pile.

On the bright side you get the bill at the end of the year so you can stick the money owed into premium bonds until then and maybe win something

Alan

I chicken out and pay an accountant to do it. Thankfully their fee (which isn't too bad, really) comes off the next years tax bill as an expense.

I'd love to get a rebate, though, well done Pete 

Quote from: EtchedPixels on January 26, 2012, 01:45:42 PM
Ah yes the joy of income tax returns. The bit I hate the most is fishing out every order copy and all the postage receipts and the paypal fees and putting the numbers in order. That is a right pain when you find some postage receipt has mysterious absconded and hidden itself six months later in the pile.

On the bright side you get the bill at the end of the year so you can stick the money owed into premium bonds until then and maybe win something

Alan

That's what I pay my Book Keeper for, I do the basic stuff on a weekly basis,  :computersmile:, he gets my books in May of each year and sorts out the problems, and roots out the things I can claim for but haven't. He saves me money, and of course his fees are tax deductible! .

Stress free tax year because I know my bill and how much I need to put aside by the end of May.

Jack

ps I no goodie goodie, my book keeper advised me to do my daily/weekly accounts to keep his bill down as well as my stress levels.

Quote from: Lawrence on January 25, 2012, 08:16:40 PM
Just found out that if you wear branded clothing for work (i.e. it has the company name on it) and you have to wash it yourself you can get a tax rebate, it's not a lot but its money you are not paying them.. Even better, if you can prove it, you can back claim for 6 years 

More info at http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/uniform-tax-rebate

Apologies for quoting myself but a wee update, a female colleague of mine sent her letter in 3 weeks ago, she has just had a cheque back for £66 - that was for last year, they are now checking the 5 years prior to see what she is entitled to, and they have changed her tax code to compensate from now on 

Last year I was one of the unfortunates who got a letter saying I had underpaid by £480 and it would be collected by changing my tax code. "OK - fair cop" I thought. Now I have another letter stating that because my tax code hadn't been altered I now owe £900.
And this from the stupid kn**heads who are supposed to inform my employer what my tax code is